by R B Hilliard
He placed his finger to my lips before I could explain. “Shhhhh. That’s all I need to know. I want you all night long… in my bed.” Touching his lips to mine, he asked, “come home with me?”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
It was too soon. Something was going on with Joss and Kurt and my dad was still at my house. I needed more time. I wanted to go with him, but a big part of me wasn’t completely sure.
As if reading my mind or the panicked look on my face, he asked, “If not tonight, then what about tomorrow night? Did Kurt schedule you to work? He mentioned something about it earlier but then he had to go.”
“He never said anything to me. I assume that I’m still off.”
“That’s okay. Why don’t you meet me here sometime before closing? You can either leave your car here or follow me back to my place. I’ll leave the logistics up to you.”
He kissed me again and I lost all reason. “Okay,” I breathed, “tomorrow night.”
He pulled back with a look of surprise on his face. “Really?”
“Yes.”
A little while later Dillon walked me out to my car and kissed me again before letting me go. If I wasn’t so worried about Joss and Kurt, I would have floated home on cloud nine. Instead, I debated whether to drive over to their place and check in on them. At the last minute, I remembered what Dillon had said about it not being my business and changed my mind.
I awoke Friday morning with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I had called and left Joss, Kurt and Garrett messages before going to bed, but none of them had called me back. My thoughts kept going back to the haunted look on Kurt’s face right before he took off last night. Something bad had happened and no-one was talking. My dad was busy with a deadline and holed up in his office. Looking at magazines wasn’t helping so I decided to call Piper.
“Hey girl,” she answered. “I was going to call you this afternoon.”
“You sound tired. Are you okay?”
“Not really.”
My heart dropped. “Are you sick? Is your family okay? Talk to me.”
After a moment of silence, she said, “I need something from you and I need you to not ask any questions.”
“Piper, you know that I would do anything for you.”
“I am in trouble, but I can’t talk about it and I really need to get out of Texas. The only place I want to be right now is with you in Charlotte.”
“You can’t or you won’t talk about it?” I needed for her to clarify.
“Both, I guess. I miss you.” I could hear tears in her voice.
What has she gotten herself into?
“I miss North Carolina. I need to come home. I want to be there through the wedding planning for Joss. I don’t know what’s happening in your lives anymore. I feel so disconnected from everything.”
The more she talked, the more worried I was about what she wasn’t telling me. “So come home and stay with me.”
“Can I?” She sounded like a lost little girl instead of my strong-willed best friend.
“Of course you can. My dad is in my old room and using the front guest room as his office. You can take the back room.”
“Oh Ellie,” she sighed, “things are so messed up.”
I had a million questions, but first I needed to get her here. “When will you be here?”
“Soon.”
“I don’t like this at all, Piper. Will you eventually tell me what this is about?”
“I swear, if I talk to anyone about it, it will be you. I can’t right now. Just trust me.”
“Okay.”
I’ll leave it alone for now.
After we hung up, I realized that I forgot to tell her about last night.
By seven that night I was done. I was hurt and angry. Joss and Kurt were missing in action and no one had bothered to return my phone calls. Dillon wasn’t expecting me until closer to closing, but I was sick and tired of waiting around so I decided to head to Dragonfly early. Maybe Garrett would be there and give me some answers.
I threw on my sexy new black lace bra, a sheer black long sleeved t-shirt and my tightest, most flattering indigo jeans. With my hair blown out, my eyes smoked up and my lips glossed, I was on fire. I told my dad I would be out for the night and to call my cell if he needed anything. He gave me a stern look but didn’t say anything.
Smart man.
I threw on my biker boots and black leather coat, grabbed my packed bag and ran out the door.
Dillon’s awful music accosted me as I walked into Dragonfly. Instead of cringing like I normally did, I smiled.
Vintage Dillon.
I spotted the one person I absolutely could not wait to see standing behind the bar and headed his way.
He was bent over talking to someone, but I couldn’t tell who it was from this far across the bar. However, I could see the familiar ‘I want to swallow you whole’ look on his face. This was the same look he had given me last night, only now he wasn’t directing it at me. The person he was hunched over turned their head enough for me to see their profile and it hit me, like a fist to the gut.
Dana
The closer I got, the more damning it looked. He was stroking the side of her face and talking to her in a tone too low to hear. Slowly, I approached. He had no clue that I was in Dragonfly, much less standing there watching his sorry ass. .
When will I learn?
I was about to turn tail and run when Polly saw me. “Hey Ellie Belly!” she shouted.
Crap!
Dillon’s head shot up and his eyes landed on me, rounding in surprise. I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or cry at the guilty expression on his face. He looked down and yanked his hand from Dana’s as if he had been burned.
“What’s wrong?” I heard her ask. Following his eyes, she turned around in her chair. Her eyes narrowed into slits. “Oh, it’s only you,” she huffed. Then, as if I wasn’t there, she turned back to Dillon and said, “Keep telling me about what you’re going to do to me later tonight.”
I gasped.
This is what he’s been doing behind my back. I am so stupid.
“Shut up Dana,” Dillon warned.
Gritting my teeth, I stepped up to the bar, leaned forward and asked, “Do you even have an aunt or was that also one big lie?”
Before he could answer, Garrett spotted me from the opposite end of the bar and shouted, “Hey Ellie! Dillon said you weren’t coming in until later tonight.”
I shot Dillon a look of disgust. “Of course he did,” I bitterly responded as I headed down the bar to Garrett, plopped my behind on the stool directly in front of him and yelled, “Hit me with a shot!”
He stared at me for a minute as if weighing his options and then asked, “Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“What are you, my mother?” Then, sarcastically I answered for him. “Nope, you can’t be my mother because she’s dead. You’re not my father because he’s back at my house convalescing and, since I have no siblings, you can’t be them. So what does that make you? Oh yes, you are the bar-ten-der,” I spelled out, “and I…want…a…shot!”
He chuckled and slammed down two shots of Tequila. “Hell, I think the word convalescing alone should get you two.” We both busted out laughing and, like that, the tension was broken.
My smile quickly faded when Joss and Kurt appeared from the back. I waited patiently for Joss to step behind the bar before blasting her. “I want to know where in the hell you two have been? You haven’t answered my calls and I’ve been worried sick. You, of all people know how cruel that is.” She paled and a look of pain flitted across her face.
What the hell?
“Ellie,” Garrett warned, also seeing Joss’ facial expression.
I held up my hand to stop him from speaking. “You didn’t call me back either, so… don’t.”
Polly handed me a shot from her tray and, before anyone could stop me, I quickly downed it. Joss didn’t notice because she was busy whisper
ing something to Garrett. Dillon, however, was staring me down. I wanted to poke both of his beautiful eyes out.
Give me a couple more shots and I might just try.
I saw Lena heading my way with a tray of shots. A guy stopped her and, while she was distracted, I slid from my chair, snagged a shot from her tray and sucked it down.
When I returned to my stool, Dillon was standing in front of me. “It’s not what you think, Ellie.”
I looked up into his beautiful lying eyes. “No? Then by all means, slick, tell me how it is?”
His brow shot up. “Slick?”
Looking him up and down, I replied, “Yep, definitely slick.” This seemed to piss him off.
Good.
“Another?” he asked while raising my empty shot glass.
“Nope, I’ll take a Shiner though.”
He plunked it down in front of me. “Can we talk?”
“Nope.”
“Are we still on for later tonight?”
My jaw dropped. “Are you for real?”
“I told you it’s not what you think,” he said through clinched teeth.
I chugged the beer, slammed the bottle down and said, “Another please!”
Lena stepped up and gave Dillon a look. “Hey girl, you might want to slow down on those drinks. I don’t want to clean up a mess in the bathroom later on,” she warned.
I threw my arm around her waist. “Lena babe, I am going to get hammered tonight!”
Polly scooted in on my other side. “I wanna get hammered! Why do I always have to be working when all the good stuff happens?”
Three beers later I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to blast whoever was rudely interrupting my drinking binge and froze.
Hot guy alert.
Over six feet of mouth-watering yumminess stood before me. His short sandy blonde hair highlighted the bluest eyes I had ever seen. Normally I didn’t go for facial hair, but on this guy it was definitely a plus.
“Hi, I’m Gage. Are you by chance Ellie Davis?” His voice was deep and had an edge to it. What was it about deep voiced alpha men that got me every time?
I summoned my sexiest smile and hoped that Dillon was watching. “I sure am. Do I know you?” Then, before he could answer said, “Who cares, you’ll do. Do you want to dance?”
“Uhhh, I’m not much of a dancer but wouldn’t mind going somewhere to talk.”
“Ellie,” I heard Dillon warn.
The guy could be a serial killer and I didn’t care. That’s how mad I was.
“Sure thing, Gage,” I said, stressing his name. By all means, let’s go talk.”
I watched his eyebrow raise in question. “He bugging you?” He tilted his head toward Dillon.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the look on Dillon’s face when I snagged Gage’s hand. “Yep, and now I’m going to use you on the dance floor, or wherever, to bug him back.” This made him chuckle. “You don’t have to actually dance since you don’t like it…just stand there and I’ll do all the moving.”
“She said you were funny. I can see she wasn’t lying,” he laughed.
“Who?” I asked, now thoroughly confused. I heard the sounds of a scuffle coming from the offices and Joss was in my face before I knew what was happening.
She glared at Gage. “Ellie, you need to stop drinking right now.”
“Why? I’m not hurting anyone. Am I? No, that’s what you and Kurt do, not me.”
“Ellie,” she whispered, “I want to talk to you but I can’t.”
“I don’t know what that means, Joss. Tell me what that means.”
“I can’t.” The pain in her voice made me want to comfort her, but I wanted to kick her more so I held back.
Instead, I narrowed my eyes and asked, “What are you not telling me? ‘Cause if it has something to do with Piper, I already know.”
She reared back and Gage stepped forward. “What’s wrong with Piper?” Joss asked.
“So this is not about Piper? Good to know.”
She threw up her hands and shouted, “I can’t tell you right now, Ellie. I just can’t!”
Huffing, I rolled my eyes. “Well then, meet my new friend Garage,” I flung my arm in his direction.
“Gage,” he corrected.
It suddenly dawned on me that Dillon was no longer behind the bar.
“Where is he?” I asked.
She looked around the bar and then back at me. “Who?”
“Dillon.”
“He said something about walking Dana out so she could catch a ride home or something like that.”
I turned to Gage who was still patiently waiting to talk to me. “This night just gets better and better.”
“Ellie, is there something going on between you and Dillon? Because, if there is…”
I was sick of hearing how wrong Dillon was for me. I was the one living it. Instead of listening to Joss tell me something I already knew, I decided to march outside and confront him. Nevermind that I was half drunk and would probably regret it later. I was a girl on a mission.
“Ellie, wait for me!” Joss shouted, but I was already half way across the bar.
Sure enough, Dillon was right outside. Was he putting Dana in a cab? Nope. They were kissing behind some cars, like two teenaged kids who were afraid of getting caught.
Oh no he isn’t!
I waited until I was right on them before speaking. “You know, for someone who claims there’s nothing going on, you sure have a funny way of showing it.”
They both jumped and Dana shrieked in surprise.
Good, maybe she pissed her pants.
Dillon started, “Ellie, we were just…”
Taking a step back, I held up my hands. “For your information, Dillon, I have eyes. I saw what you were just doing.”
Right then a car pulled up beside us and parked.
Jennifer
“Well, what do we have here?” she sneered, and slammed her car door.
Dana started to speak but Dillon cut her off. “We have Dana getting in your car and going home or wherever. That’s what we have.” Then, dismissing them both, he turned to me. “Ellie, we need to talk.”
Suddenly aware that others were present, I turned and cursed. Half the bar was outside watching us.
Great.
“Better watch out Ellie,” Jennifer sniggered, “Dillon is a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy, just….like….Max was. You just can’t seem to hold onto your men, can you? Now, why is that?”
“Fuck you Jennifer!” Dillon roared.
For a second, I felt like we were back in high-school where Jennifer dished out a heavy helping of humiliation and cruelty and I just took it. I felt like that lonely pathetic girl again and then I remembered where I was and who I was and I blasted her.
“It’s funny you should say that because I seem to remember Max’s friends talking about how you and Megan Malloy got drunk one night and were passed around by the whole football team. Hell, they didn’t even have to pay for your services, those lucky dogs.” I clapped my hands together in fake glee. “In fact, the only reason they wanted anything to do with you was because they knew that nothing was off limits with you and I mean no-thing. Two words come to mind right now and they are self…respect. Apparently you have no clue what that means, but I do. I had it five years ago with Max and I still do. That’s something you will never be able to say.” I looked over at Dana and added, “you either.”
I heard someone cough and then Joss’ loud mouth shouting, “That’s my girl! Push her far enough and she will re-tal-i-ate!”
Jennifer, of course, had to get the last word. “Really? Then why was Max all mine for most of our senior year?”
I put my finger to my mouth, as if seriously thinking about her question. “Gee, let me think. That’s a hard one. Ummmm, maybe because he’s a guy and you put out whenever and however he wanted it?”
“You know what I heard?” she asked, an evil glint in her eyes. “I heard that Max went afte
r you on a bet, a cherry popping bet, in fact. He and his boys were supposed to go after a virgin, lure her in and pop her cherry.” She made a vulgar popping noise.
Ouch.
As soon as she said this, Joss shouted, “Bullshit! Kurt was Max’s best friend and one of his so-called ‘boys’ and, to this day, there has never been anything said about a bet. Don’t you dare believe her, Ellie.”
This made me smile. I may be mad at Joss for hiding things from me, but I knew that no matter what, she always had my back. “Don’t worry about me Josselyn,” I half slurred, “I’m pretty much done here.”
I turned to walk away but Jennifer taunted. “That’s it, walk away. You know I’m right.”
My aunt used to taunt me when she wanted a fight and I wouldn’t give her one. It drove me crazy.
I threw my hand out to the crowd. “The only one here who thinks that Max gave a shit about you Jennifer… is you.” I cut my eyes to Dana. “And maybe her, but we all know she’s a couple of cards short of a full deck.”
“Oh yeah!” she yelled, now seriously flustered and grasping, “tell me, if he was so in love with you, then why did he show up at my dorm after leaving you and spend two weeks…in my bed?”
I sighed. “Who knows? But if he ended up at your place and we both know that’s a big if, then it certainly wasn’t because he loved you.”
Surprisingly, she had nothing else to say. Dana, however, decided that this was the time to put her two cents worth in. “For your information, Ellie, I have a big deck in my backyard and Dillon is mine. He always has been and always will be. Whatever you two were doing is officially over.”
A couple of people snickered when she said this.
I didn’t care anymore. I didn’t care what she said or he did. She could have him. After tonight, there would never be anything between us. Shaking my head in disgust, I turned and headed for the door. “You can have him,” I shouted over my shoulder. Not watching where I was going, I smacked into a very broad chest.
Two hands shot out to steady me and I opened my mouth to apologize, when a voice that I hadn’t heard in five years growled, “Before we get out of here, I want to set the record straight.” My ears started ringing. “In no way shape or form did I ever pay a visit to Jennifer. In fact, I haven’t set eyes on the bitch since she tried to break us up…five years ago.”
